In order to know the meaning of the term ichthyology, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we have to emphasize that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from “ichthyologia”, which is the result of the sum of two lexical components of said language:
-The noun “ichthys”, which is synonymous with “fish”.
-The word “logos”, which means “treaty” or “study”.
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology focused on the study of fish . Zoology, in turn, is the science dedicated to animals.
This means that ichthyology is a discipline that analyzes the characteristics of fish : aquatic animals that breathe through gills, have fins to move and usually reproduce oviparously.
It is believed that more than 32,700 species of fish have already been described. In any case, ichthyology faces the great difficulty of accessing the aquatic environment to carry out its research .
Their studies include chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fish), osteichthyans (bony fish), and agnathians (fish that lack jaws). Aristotle is usually pointed out as a precursor of ichthyology since, in Ancient Greece , he was responsible for the description of several species .
In addition to all the above, we have to establish that the father of ichthyology is considered to be none other than the Swedish naturalist Peter Artedi (1705 - 1735) since he made great contributions to this discipline that were reflected in different works of his that were seen. the light posthumously. Specifically, after his unexpected death, it was his teacher (Charles Linnaeus) who was responsible for publishing them and showing that he had classified fish based on their species, their order and their gender.
However, there is knowledge of ichthyology already in the Upper Paleolithic, since it is certain that at that time it was the hunters and gatherers who carried out the first research to know which fish were edible and which were not, as well as the way to capture them, for example.
Since then there have been important works on the subject by illustrious personalities such as Pierre Belon or Pliny the Elder, among others. Of course, the oldest one about fish farming was written by the Chinese politician Fan-Li.
The knowledge generated by ichthyology is very valuable in multiple areas. Marine biology , for example, is related to the work of ichthyologists. These professionals, in turn, are very important in the fishing industry due to their knowledge about the different specimens. Ichthyology work regarding fish populations can even be useful as indicators of water pollution and an ecosystem.